


AU!Markiplier x Reader: Not Movie Stars, But Close

by KingOfHearts709



Category: markiplier - Fandom
Genre: AU, Acting, Dating, F/M, Interviews, Kissing, Making Out, Markiplier - Freeform, Sexual Themes, extras, fear of commitment, movies - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-08
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-03 11:37:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4099590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingOfHearts709/pseuds/KingOfHearts709
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Movies are fun, acting is fun. But how does it turn into more than just fun?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just Extras

**Author's Note:**

> I've been writing this for, like, 6 hours. It has so much detail. I had to think really hard about the transitions. Forgive the lack of anything. xoxo

"Where's my place?" you asked the assistant director.  
"It's over on the side," she pointed out, motioning to the left. "Your dance partner is..., " she checked her clipboard, "Mark Fischbach." You looked behind you to see him dressed in the given suit for the role. "I know you're new here, and we're grateful for your part, but make sure you both are coordinated. We don't need two people bumbling on set." She smiled. "It's just precaution. We can only do so many takes."  
"Got it." You checked your hair quickly, then went into position by the so-called Mark. "Hi." He turned fully towards you.  
"Hi," he greeted. "I'm guessing you're (YN)?" You nodded.  
"Yeah. You're Mark."  
"I am. Uh, so you're my dance partner?" You nodded again. "Great. I haven't actually seen you before-"  
"Places!" the director yelled suddenly. "Remember, background people, make small talk, follow the dance steps, stay in the vicinity. Okay?" There was a collective nod and a few yes' as everyone started to get into their dance positions, including you and Mark. "Alright, let's do the first take and see how it goes!" You let out a breath, waiting for the action to start. "And...action!" You and Mark began dancing slowly in a circle, staying in your position's vicinity.  
"Sorry, he interrupted you," you said quietly.  
"I know," he replied. "I was saying that you were new here."  
"I am. I needed some extra money. Why are you here as an extra?"  
"Gets boring. I can't work at Best Buy forever, anyways. Maybe this'll be my kickoff."  
"Maybe. You're handsome enough to be in a romantic comedy." Mark chuckled lightly.  
"And what about you? Are you going to be the lead in an action film?"  
"What if the two were combined?"  
"Sounds like my kind of genre." He smiled and you did the same. The cue to leave set was given and most everyone started leaving as their roles stated, so as to leave the lead roles alone for the scene.  
"Cut!" the director yelled. Everyone stopped, rolling their necks and relaxing. "That was great. We're going to do a couple more takes, alright? Back to places!" You and Mark went back into first position and began dancing. "Action!" You grinned at him and he grinned back. There was a sort of light about him, or maybe that was the stage crew beaming their spotlights. Nevertheless, he seemed really nice and really...well, it was almost indescribable.  
There were a few more takes, some extra ones because a few dancers kept tripping over other people. You and Mark enjoyed all of it, even the extra parts. It was a wonderful experience.  
"Excuse me?" the assistant director stopped you on your way with Mark to the side. "The director wants to talk to the both of you, if it's not too much trouble."  
"Both?" Mark asked. She nodded. You shrugged and nodded, which Mark took as a yes. The both of you followed her to where the director sat.  
"Ah, thank you," he said, smiling at the assistant. He glanced at Mark. "You are Mark, correct?" Mark nodded. The director eyed you. "And you...I'm not sure."  
"(YN)," you said. "I'm one of the extras that was pulled in last minute." The director nodded.  
"Is this both your first time acting?" You both nodded. "Well, if I do say so, you're good at staying in character, even if it's just being an extra."  
"Thank you," Mark said, grinning.  
"I think I have something for you both to do." The director checked his script. "There's a scene where the leads are walking out of the building and they pass a couple in the alleyway. Since you both were dancing right by them, I think I'd like to give you two the role, since it hasn't been given yet."  
"That... That would be great," you said. "I mean, if Mark is okay with it, then I am."  
"I'm fine with the role," Mark agreed.  
"I mean, the both of you are very well-looking, and it'd be a good scene with you two." He adjusted in his seat. "There is one thing I'd like to run by you, which is what you'll be doing. The couple in the alleyway are sort of making-out, you know. We want the realism, but if you two are going to take the role, you'll both need to agree or I'll have to find someone else."  
Maybe it was the heat inside the building, but your face was red.  
"Uh...," you said, but could barely speak.  
"We won't be doing that scene right today," the director added. "I'm not trying to pressure you. Just think about it, talk about it. Okay? You can come back to me anytime on set and let me know."  
"Okay," Mark said. He grinned small and walked away, you trailing behind. There was a small food table, where you sat down and took a breath. "So...," Mark began, sitting beside you.  
"So...," you mimicked. "An alleyway make-out session."  
"Yeah."  
"I mean... I guess it's not...a bad thing."  
"Well, no." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess maybe it'll be awkward." You breathed in.  
"Not without practice, I'm sure." Mark chuckled.  
"Jeez, at least buy me dinner first." You laughed along.  
"I'll do it, though," you said, determined and giggly. "I'll take the bullet and make-out with your ugly mug."  
"Ow, hurtful." He smiled. "I guess that means I'm taking a bullet making-out with your grease-face." You laughed.  
"So it's decided." Mark shrugged.  
"I guess." You stood up, Mark following you towards the director. He turned at your presence from a stage crew member and gave a small grin.  
"That fast of a talk, huh?" he said. You shrugged.  
"There wasn't much to talk about," you said.  
"Well, what's the decision?"  
"We've decided...that we'll take the role," Mark said. The director grinned wide.  
"This is great. I'll have one of the assistants give you the script for your characters, and give you some pointers. Your script isn't actually that long, so it won't be too hard to memorise." You nodded. The director turned to the original assistant and explained to her the situation. He turned back, clearing his throat. "Okay, we'll get you some scripts today, and next set day, you'll be shown where you'll be and what you'll be doing." Mark nodded.  
"Thank you again," he said.  
"It's no problem." You and Mark grinned at him, then at each other before you walked away. A few minutes later, the assistant handed you both your scripts, which was essentially where you'd be standing, what you'd be doing and when you'd be doing what. It said on the bottom that someone would help with the rest of it, so you left it at that.  
The next day, after preparing yourself, and that just meant getting jitters out of your system, you met up with Mark and the assistant.  
"Okay, so," she began,her English accent bouncy and bright, "you two are the couple kissing in the alleyway as the two leads walk by, right?" Mark nodded. "Okay. So, to be perfectly blunt about it, it's making-out, a lot of touching, hair, movement. No inappropriate touching, though, don't worry." You giggled a little. "Yes, that's the spirit. It's only a short scene, so don't worry about being absolutely perfect. I'd try giving a quick backstory to the characters to help get into them."  
"Alright," you said.  
"Good. So, imagine you two have been dancing for a while, had a few drinks at the bar. You're a bit tipsy, you're enamoured with each other. You both are stumbling out, you get into an alleyway. Here's where the making-out comes in. Starts off rough, mostly because you're both supposed to be smashed out of your senses. Do you want to try the stance now?" You shrugged, Mark nodded. "Alright. So, Mark your hands are on her back, her neck, maybe in her hair. You're close to her, but not flush. (YN), you're right against the wall. Your hands will be gripping on his jacket and his back or hair. When the two leads walk by, Mark'll press to be flush. Try that now, if you can." You moved to be against the wall, which was a little rough, but not too much. Mark walked forward, almost blushing as he put one hand around the small of your back and one around the back of your neck. You simply grabbed the edges of his jacket and breathed nervously. "Now try going flush, Mark." Mark tried to go flush, but ended up pulling you instead of pushing. You laughed as you almost fell over.  
"Sorry," he laughed, apologising. "Wrong way."  
"It's fine, let's try again," you said, going back against the wall and putting your hands back where they were. This time Mark did it correctly, promptly making you feel giggly and nervous.  
"That was good," the assistant said. "Now comes the difficult part. I highly suggest practicing kissing each other. I'm not asking for the full-fledged make-out just yet, but it's important to be comfortable just kissing each other." You paused, as did Mark. "You don't have to do it here if you don't want to. There are setting rooms that have a few props in it if you want to be alone for it." You blushed. "Oh, don't be embarrassed. A lot of actors and actresses practice." You took in a breath, then let it go. You were breathing way too harshly these days.  
"I think I'd like the setting rooms," you cut in. Mark nodded, agreeing silently.  
"Alright. There's one down to the left. Tell the crew there that you're there to practice scenes. They'll get it." Mark nodded. There wasn't much talking on the way to the setting room other than you coughing. Mark told the crew member that you both were there to practice scenes. The crew member seemed to have a sort of look to her face, like she knew exactly what you were practicing. She even gave you the key to the room so you could lock it. The two of you made it into the room. It was quite spacious, with a few racks of clothes and some extra backdrop posters. Other than that, it was empty.  
"Did you want to lock the door?" you asked.  
"If it makes you more comfortable," Mark replied. You shrugged, locking it and putting the key in your pocket. Mark moseyed around the room, running his hands along the various costumes before looking at you. "I guess...we should practice...or something." You shrugged.  
"I guess, yeah," you said. "Did you want to do it with the scene movement, or no?"  
"Maybe not yet." You nodded. He walked forward.  
He was close. Inches. Centimeters. Millimeters.  
"Ow!" you yelped, jumping back and standing on one foot.  
"Oh, crap, sorry!" he said, stepping back. You stood back, although you winced.  
"It's okay. I just wasn't expecting that. I actually have a moderate pain tolerance." He chuckled, running his hands through his hair. "I mean, I guess you are the initiator in this."  
"My character is. I don't know about myself." You laughed. "Hey, in real life, I'm actually a giant dork."  
"Well, isn't that nice?" you laughed aloud. "So am I."  
"Good. Then it shouldn't be hard to get used to kissing each other, right?"  
"Yeah. I think we're overthinking the situation, though. We should probably just...do it." Mark nodded. He stepped forward again and leaned down, one hand on the small of your back. You closed your eyes and let him kiss you for a few moments. You wondered what the metal against your face was, then you remembered he was wearing glasses. After he pulled away, you started giggling.  
"What?" he asked, smiling.  
"You tried to snake in your tongue," you said, laughing more. "You perv."  
"I- It was instinct!" he countered, laughing with you and putting his hand over his mouth.  
"I'm not saying it was a bad thing, I'm just saying that I noticed."  
"Alright, well... How many times do you want to do this?"  
"Until we get comfortable, I guess." Mark smiled and kissed you again.  
It was an odd feeling, kissing someone you didn't know well. It sort of felt like you knew Mark based on all the talk when you both were dancing. Almost like a friend, but like something else. You couldn't tell which was which.  
Mark's hand went up to the upper part of your back as you simply put your hands on his shirt, still unsure of how to continue. You laughed against his lips as he tried to snake his tongue in again, and he chuckled in response. You felt yourself walking backwards before you felt a wall against your back. The kissing was still soft, but it didn't feel like practicing. It felt like actual kissing, like you and he were just casually kissing on the couch in the middle of an afternoon. Maybe that's just what it felt like to practice, you assumed.  
A few minutes more and you finally stopped, breathing only a little heavier than usual.  
"That...wasn't too bad," you said, smiling.  
"Yeah," he agreed. "You were right, we were overthinking it before." You nodded. "I... I don't know if you still want to keep practicing that or you want to take a break..."  
"You just want to kiss me, don't you?" you teased him. He opened his mouth to protest before he realised there was nothing to back him up. "It's okay. I know I'm absolutely irresistible."  
"If I agree to that, what would happen?" he asked.  
"Then I would be right."  
"I guess you're right, then." You let out a breathy chuckle.  
"At least buy me dinner first." Mark checked his watch.  
"It's 3pm." You laughed confidently.  
"Fine, you can buy me lunch." He smiled in response.  
"I will do that, but right now we're still on set and we're still supposed to be practicing." You nodded. "So it depends on where we're at now. Like, should we practice this one more, or should we go on to the bigger stuff?" You shrugged.  
"I'm ready for the bigger stuff," you shrugged. "Don't be afraid to be a little rough, I'll get used to it." Mark nodded.  
"So...just do it."  
"Just do it."  
Mark stepped forward and, unlike last time, didn't waste time with the slow adjustment when he kissed you. His hands were immediately on your back and neck, yours moving to his hair. He didn't go flush, but he definitely got close enough that your knees knocked into his. It was rushed, quick-paced, but it was nice. This time around, you let him slip his tongue in, which meant this would be the farthest you'd go for the scene. Well, it was all in good practice, right? Mark's hand slid down your back to rest on your hip, other hand tangling more in your hair. His thumb rolled circles on your temple, almost in caring sense. You kept running your own fingers through the hair on the back of his head, enjoying, for some reason, how soft it was. It was like that kind of floof hair that was just everywhere. The momentum carried on for about two minutes longer before you were certain there was nothing else to practice.  
Well, there was.  
You had forgotten your neck was exposed, which he proceeded to go to. He started with kissing the corner of your lips before he went to your cheek, then your chin and down to your neck. It tickled a little bit, but it felt just right. You sighed, maybe moaned a little bit as you felt yourself getting weak in the knees. It felt almost as if you were sliding down the wall. You were sure you had when you felt yourself sit on floor. Mark was moving his way back up to your lips, and when he did, you went sideways and landed on your left arm. You turned so Mark was practically straddling you, yet the kissing stayed active. You could feel the heavy breathing from his nose on your face, which almost made you laugh hard enough to stop, but you contained yourself. His hand had already moved from your hip to your arm earlier, which was now sliding up to your shoulder, then to your neck. For whatever reason, probably because your head was swimming, your hands hadn't moved from the start. You moved your left hand to the side of his face, your right hand down to his chest.  
This felt wonderful. It felt great. It felt absolutely natural. It was-  
Knock, knock, knock.  
"Hello?" a feminine voice called through the door. Mark stopped, slowly opening his eyes, almost as if in a daze. You did the same. "Is anyone in here? The director is looking for the alleyway couple." Your brain turned on fully and Mark sat up, you doing the same.  
"Just a minute!" Mark called, adjusting his glasses and looking at you. "Did you lock the door?"  
"Yeah," you said, reaching into your pocket for the key...but found it wasn't there. "I...think I lost the key." Mark looked around the both of you, searching for a silver glint. You did the same until you finally spotted it under a cape. "Got it, let's go." You snatched the key and stood up. You tried to fix your hair as best you could before you just put up a ponytail. Mark ran a hand through his own hair, making it flip to the right naturally. You unlocked the door to see the assistant from earlier standing there, surprised.  
"Are you okay?" she asked. You nodded, as did Mark. "I hope you're comfortable kissing because you'll need to get in costume and start the takes."  
"How long will that take?" Mark asked.  
"For you, not too long. (YN), we need to get you back into that skinny dress and that hairstyle, pronto. We're not going to do much make-up because of the scene, but we'll put some lipstick and things on for effect. Alright?"  
"Yeah, okay," you said.  
"Right, you come with me. Mark, you know where the dressing rooms are." Mark nodded and started walking away, you the opposite direction. You gave him a little wave goodbye despite the fact that you'd see him in no time. "Come on, come on," the assistant urged as she got you into the room, quickly snatching up the dress you were to wear. You started to strip so as to get into costume.  
"I have a question," you said as she helped you step into the dress. "Have you ever practiced kissing someone for a scene?" She laughed.  
"Once," she said. "The only difference was that it was a woman."  
"So...when you did that, did it feel...real?" She shrugged as she zipped up the back.  
"Not to me. It was emotionless. The scene was actually more intense than the one you'll be doing, but I didn't feel anything."  
"That's weird."  
"It's really not." She gave you a funny look. "Why, did it feel real to you?" You shrugged.  
"It...," you paused, then shook your head, "I was just curious if it was supposed to, that's all." She pulled out a few hair clips to start your hairstyle.  
"Well, it's all acting. If it doesn't feel like acting, then...I'd suggest toning it down. Worst case scenario, you lose it on set and you just don't stop." She shrugged. "I guess it wouldn't be a bad thing for it to feel real. Maybe it means you've found your click." She added a few more touches to your hair, then miffed it up a little. "There. Now let's just get some eye-shadow, lipstick, a little blush and you'll be ready." You let her apply the make-up, but not without thinking whether or not Mark thought it felt real, too.  
You rushed out the dressing room in your ridiculously hard-to-walk-in heels to where Mark was standing in the suit that was given to him. It was dark outside on the set, but luckily the alleyway was fairly wide enough to walk through comfortably.  
"Are you ready, you two?" the director asked. "We might have to do multiple takes, so don't get too tired on me."  
"Got it," you said. Mark nodded with you and you took your places where the pieces of tape were on the ground.  
"Now, you two, when they walk past, Mark, you'll feel a poke or a touch on your back. That's your cue to go flush. (YN), don't be afraid to pull him in if you have to." You nodded. "Another thing. We'll just have you start right before I call action so we can get the flow of things naturally." Mark nodded. "Okay. Places!" You and Mark stayed close. "You two, start!" Mark began kissing you like before without a second thought. You could've sworn the director yelled action, but you couldn't focus. It felt almost like it was just you and Mark on set. You put your head on straight after a few moments as you heard the dialogue of the leads walking down the alleyway. You heard them start to walk past, but Mark never went flush, as if he were distracted. You took action and pulled him in, causing a sort of groan from the back of his throat. You heard the male lead say, "Come off it!" which was probably his line before they walked past you.  
"Cut!" the director yelled, but Mark didn't stop at that. He kept on it, starting to kiss down to your neck. "Mark, (YN), cut!" At that you pushed him off a little, opening your eyes and looking at the director. "That was great, you two. Good job on pulling Mark in. This time, try having Mark do it."  
"I know I was supposed to," Mark said, then paused before adding, "I might've gotten a little bit distracted." You blushed furiously, though you doubted anyone could see it under your make-up and the lighting.  
"Don't get carried away this time," the director said. "Cue couple!" Mark began kissing you. "Action!" The kiss felt different this time. It felt softer, slower, less harsh but extremely passionate. You suddenly felt Mark go flush, making you make a noise. You heard cut again and you stopped kissing. "Alright, whatever you two are doing, keep doing it!" the director said. "We'll be taking a few more takes so just keep at that pace, it's working."  
There were a few more takes, then some extra takes. Quite a few extra takes, actually, which made you wonder whether or not the director was doing it on purpose to keep you and Mark kissing. After the final take, you went with Mark to the food table.  
"Okay, my jaw really hurts," you started off.  
"Mine doesn't," Mark said, laughing.  
"Yeah, because you and your giant mouth almost ate me whole."  
"Did not!" You laughed.  
"Anyway, though, I think we learned something very valuable."  
"That I am, essentially, a really great kisser?"  
"Not that valuable." Mark mocked hurt, making you laugh. "I meant that kissing isn't all that hard to do."  
"Well, no. It actually...," Mark rubbed the back of his neck, "It almost felt real. You know, like it wasn't acting."  
"I got that same feeling." Mark nodded. "Hey..."  
"What?"  
"...Don't you still owe me lunch?" Mark checked his watch.  
"It's 7pm." You laughed, standing up.  
"Fine. Then you owe me dinner." Mark nodded, standing up with you.  
"Deal."


	2. Let's Up The Feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another call for a movie part, and they want Mark and you to do more of your acting together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this?! ANOTHER CHAPTER?!  
> Yes, folks, you heard me right! This little fic is going to get some more chapters! Stay tuned, but I'm actually not sure how often I'll update it, but I will be writing it! xoxo

You sat on your couch and flipped through television shows, trying to find something you could watch while you relaxed for a bit. The movie you had filmed with Mark had already been in theatres for the first time just last week, the filming done over three months ago. It was called ‘Eventful Love’, or something close to that. Everyone on set got a copy of the movie after it came out, and it was actually pretty good. The scene where you and Mark kissed showed made you blush slightly, but you shrugged it off after seeing it a few times. You actually hadn’t really talked to him after the dinner you two had. You got his phone number, but you never bothered to text or call him.  
Your phone rang as a commercial came onto your TV screen, making you jump. You were a little lost in thought, but you came to your senses and looked at the caller ID. It was nothing you recognised, but you answered anyways.  
“Hello?” you asked the unknown caller.  
“Is this (YN) (LN)?” a feminine voice asked.  
“Uh... Yes, why?”  
“Ah, good! I saw your extra part in the movie ‘Reverent Love’.” Oh, so that was the name. “You did that with...,” they paused for a moment, “Mark Fischbach, correct?”  
“Yes, I did.”  
“How was it doing a part like that with him?” You paused this time.  
“Is this for an interview or something?” you asked uncertainly.  
“No, no!” they assured. “I’m just an assistant director. We wanted to know how doing the part felt.”  
“I guess...it was a little odd at first, but it was good. We practiced and we did what we needed to do.” You took a deep breath. “I don’t suppose you’re calling to hire me for a new part, are you?”  
“Now that you say that, yes, that is why I’m calling you.” She laughed over the line. “My director wanted me to call both you and Mark to audition for a new movie that’s being put into production.”  
“What...kind of part will that be, exactly?”  
“He was thinking you and Mark could be a background couple with a few lines.” You took in a big breath and let it out. Of course you would be hired for that part, and of course they wanted Mark to be the other half.  
“Have you already called Mark?”  
“We have already called him, and he wanted us to call you as well so we knew if you wanted to do it, too.” You didn’t say anything for a moment. “We can’t find anyone else who wants to do the part, and you and Mark are one of the only people who have done roles like this and aren’t busy. If you can just stop by, even, it would help us.” You nodded, then realised the woman couldn’t see you over the phone.  
“I can stop by,” you said, a little quicker than usual. “Is Mark going, too?”  
“He said he would stop by if you would, so we’ll call him right back to tell him.”  
“Oh, you don’t have to. I can do that myself. I think I’d like to talk to him about this.” The woman let out a hearty laugh.  
“Of course. Mark will tell you the address if you decide to come visit, so we’ll hopefully see you tomorrow at around 10:00am.”  
“Okay. Thanks for calling.”  
“No problem.”  
“Bye.” You hung up the phone and it fell out of your hand and onto the floor. You stared at the television but all that you could think about was you and Mark, doing another scene, but this time you had lines and it may last longer than your last scene with him. You went for the phone again but it rang as you picked it up, making you jump and drop it a few feet away. This time, you knew the number, and you answered with unease.  
“Mark?” you asked.  
“Hi, (YN),” Mark’s familiar voice came through. “I, uh... Did anyone call you yet?”  
“For the movie? They did, yeah.”  
“Okay, did they...tell you what the roles were?”  
“They did.”  
“What did you say?” You bit your lip and thought.  
“What did you say?”  
“Uh... I said I would do it whether or not you were there. I told them I was more comfortable with you, but...” He chuckled nervously. “That was a weird thing to say, sorry.” You laughed a little back.  
“It’s okay. If I’m honest, I agree with you that any other guy would make me feel awkward, but I think with you, it’d be more...comfortable.”  
“Right. That’s what I was thinking.” He paused for a second. “Uh, I guess then we should go...right?”  
“Yeah... Maybe, if you want to. I don’t know where it is, though.”  
“I can pick you up and we can go together.”  
“Yeah, it sounds good.”  
“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.” You heard a snap. “Crap, sorry, uh... Where do you live again?”  
“(ADD).”  
“Okay. Now I can see you tomorrow.”  
“There better not be traffic like how it was when we went to dinner.” Mark laughed.  
“I hope not.”  
“Bye, Mark.”  
“Bye.” You heard him hang up and you put your phone down correctly this time, smiling a bit to yourself. It’s just Mark, you thought. What could happen?  
The next morning you opened your eyes and wished that you could just sleep forever. You had an odd dream last night, and it involved Mark...  
Oh, crap. The dream came back to you and you blushed fiercely. It was that NSFW type of dream that would be filtered in a Tumblr tag. Crap, how you were going to hold it together, you didn’t know. You still dragged yourself out of bed, remembering that Mark had to pick you up and take you both down to where the movie, whatever it was, was being shot.  
A good fifteen minutes later and you were dressed, had eaten and began bracing yourself to see Mark. A few images from the dream came to mind, but instead of feeling embarrassed, you felt what people would call ‘butterflies in your stomach’. All giddy and maybe excited, but it definitely wasn’t for the movie.  
A few more minutes and a knock was at your door. You walked rather quickly to answer it, and there Mark was to take you.  
To the movie set, of course. Your brain didn’t seem to want to finish that sentence.  
“Hi,” he said, grinning. You grinned, giving him a subtle once-over. “Uh... Are you ready to go?” You looked up and nodded.  
“Completely ready,” you assured, and he nodded to what must have been his car, all red and a little roomy, it seemed. The two of you didn’t quite speak on the way to the movie set, save for you glancing at him, then him catching it and smiling.  
“And here we are,” Mark announced as you both stopped at what looked like a park of some sorts. There were several people and several cameras, and it seemed like it was set up for a certain running scene. You and Mark stepped out of the car and towards what looked like the director.  
“Excuse me?” you asked, tapping him on the shoulder.  
“Hm?” he hummed turning. “Who’re you?”  
“We... Your assistant called us yesterday. About a role.”  
“What are your names?”  
“I’m Mark Fischbach,” Mark greeted. “This is (YN) (LN).” The director pondered a moment before his face lit up.  
“Ah! I remember you two. I just want to say that the scene you two did was fantastic.” You felt your stomach flip, and saw Mark nod out of the corner of your eye. “Was it your first time kissing a stranger?”  
“Yes,” you and Mark said. The director laughed.  
“Well, my crew and I are glad you decided to show up. The roles we have set for you are similar to the ones you had done before. A couple, kissing on a bench. The lead actor will be running, he’ll fall onto you and make you both very annoyed. We might change it later, but we’ll see how this goes.”  
“Okay,” you said, nodding.  
“I don’t suppose you both need practice, do you? It’s been awhile since you’ve done it, I’m sure.” He eyed you both. “Unless, of course...”  
“Oh,” Mark said, the held up his hands, shaking his head. “Oh, no, we’re not... We haven’t really talked since the filming we had done for the last movie.”  
“Yeah,” you added, “we’re not...together, together. But I think we’re comfortable with this scene. Uh...right?”  
“Right, yeah.” The director chuckled.  
“The question is whether or not you need to get back into the swing of things again with kissing. Considering the large amount of time you haven’t seen each other.” You opened your mouth, then closed it.  
Sure, you probably wouldn’t mind the practice, but did you really need to?  
“We can practice,” Mark answered for the both of you. “It might be...helpful.” You eyed him in your peripheral vision and slowly nodded. There wasn’t much use starting an argument with him, and besides, maybe it was just him that needed the practice.  
Or maybe not.  
“Privacy, or are you going to be public?” the director asked. “Your choice.”  
“Privacy, definitely,” you said. The director nodded.  
“Alright, uh...,” he looked around before catching someone’s eye and calling them over, “can you issue them a key to one of the dressing rooms?” The assistant, whomever he was, nodded and fumbled around in his pockets before pulling out a silver key and handing it to Mark. “Okay, we’ll be doing the shoot not very long, since we still have some shots to take of the main scene couple.” You nodded.  
“Do we need scripts?” Mark asked. The director shook his head.  
“Who needs scripts these days?” he chuckled and turned away. The assistant led you both to one of the dressing rooms.  
“Doesn’t seem very professional, does he?” you asked the assistant as Mark opened the door.  
“No, he’s not,” the assistant sighed, then handed you a piece of paper. “This is your script. Sorry my director is such an ass.” He chuckled. “Take all the time you need, but not too much time. It’ll be about an hour before we get your roles into play, so don’t worry. I don’t suspect you’ll both be gone long.” He looked into the open dressing room, which was significantly smaller than the one you and Mark had before. “There are some generic clothes in there that you both can change into if you want. Think bench couple and on a date.” You nodded and the assistant left you and Mark to either your demise or your...activities.  
“Did you want to lock the door?” Mark asked you.  
“You asked that last time,” you said, laughing a little. Mark grinned. “It’ll be the same answer.”  
“Okay.” He went to lock the door, but this time he kept the lock near the door on a little table so you wouldn’t lose it like last time.  
“Did you really need to practise again?” you asked. “Or are you lying?” Mark bit his lip.  
“Do you want me to be completely honest?” You nodded. “Both.”  
“What do you mean, ‘both’?”  
“Well, I mean that practise would be good, but I didn’t necessarily need it.” You widened your eyes at him and gave him a light punch, making him flinch. “What? Come on, who can resist that face?” He pointed to you.  
“Apparently, everyone but you,” you said, laughing. You looked down at the script paper. “Oh, look at this. We’re listed as ‘Romantic Couple On Bench’.”  
“Isn’t that what we are?” Mark joked.  
“I don’t know, but it’s certainly not something that rolls off the tongue.” You bit your lip. “You, however, roll off it nicely.”  
“(YN) (LN), are you flirting with me?” Mark asked.  
“Oh, trust me, we’re way past flirting.” You read over the script one more time before you looked up at Mark. “So, it says here that we’ll be kissing and a woman will run past, then a guy will and fall onto us. We’re supposed to look annoyed and you say, ‘What the hell?’ and he says, ‘Sorry,’ and starts off running. At that point, I sigh, we start kissing again and that’s all there is to it.”  
“I’ll bet it sounds a lot more complicated on the paper,” Mark said.  
“It is, but I’m good at reading.” You set the paper down. “We can get into some summer-type date clothes while we’re here, I guess.” You went to survey the clothes and picked out a nice red top and some skinny jeans. You watched Mark find a blue polo shirt and some shorts.  
“Do you...want me to turn away?” Mark asked, unsure. You shrugged.  
“It doesn’t matter,” you sighed. “If you want.”  
“Uh...,” Mark paused, “well, I guess I have to get dressed, too.”  
“True. Let’s just get dressed, then. Nothing to hide, I’m hoping.” You laughed as you began taking off both your T-shirt and your loose jeans. You took out one leg from the jeans, then tried the other before you found yourself falling backwards and onto your back, making you groan and wince.  
“(YN)?” Mark said before his eyes fell on you and he rushed to help you up. He had only his shirt off, jeans unbuttoned, while you were already down to one layer of thin undergarments. He held out his hand and you grabbed it, pulling yourself up.  
Oh.  
Oh, wait.  
Chests together, faces close, and basically half-naked.  
“Uh...,” you said.  
“Uh...,” Mark mimicked. He was only a bit taller than you, which, for whatever reason, you didn’t remember him being last time. Probably because your faces were meshed together.  
Oh. Oh, crap, what was he doing? Leaning in? What were you doing? Leaning in with him?  
In a spark of something, he found your lips and vice versa, his hand slowly finding its way to the small of your exposed back. You simply stood there, a little breath coming from your nose and somewhere onto his glasses.  
This was not practicing. Not even a little bit.  
This was real, and he was real, and everything was real.  
In your mind, you thought back to last time. That had felt real, and this felt real, so...was last time real, too?  
Although, you weren’t sure what was real anymore because you couldn’t concentrate on your thoughts. You were too busy concentrating on Mark.  
It wasn’t rough, the kiss, but it was definitely a passionate one. Not anything like last time. Your hands eventually found his belt loops on the back of his jeans and his other hand gripped on your shoulder. You stayed at that pace for a few long moments, not noticing how much you were enjoying this, wondering if Mark had that same feeling. Of course, you couldn’t ask because he was pushing you backwards and towards a large pile of clothes. As soon as your felt the soft cloth on your back, Mark let out a sort of grunt, moving the hand on your shoulder to the clothes behind you, whereas you moved one hand up to the back of his neck to deepen the kiss, if you could even accomplish that.  
Heavy breathing, bodies pressed together, lips moving in perfect sync, and you couldn’t believe what you had gotten yourself into with Mark. You felt the kiss slow, but it didn’t quite stop. It wasn’t so difficult to keep pace, and you didn’t feel the need to be so aggressive anymore. Mark’s hand, the one on the clothes, gently found its way to the side of your face, his thumb caressing your cheek. You let out a small whimper as Mark began to slow enough to the point of stopping and finally disconnect from your lips. Your eyes were closed, mouth a little open, but you felt Mark set his forehead on yours.  
“(YN)...,” he said, but it seemed so quiet that you weren’t sure if you were imagining it. “I...” You finally opened your eyes to see his own brown ones looking at you.  
You started laughing. You laughed and crinkled up your eyes and your mouth went into a smile. Mark started laughing along with you, loosening his hold, but not totally. You laughed until you couldn’t breathe properly and you were coughing up a storm on the floor next to each other.  
“Well, that’s got to be some kind of practice,” Mark managed to say.  
“That’s true,” you laughed, slowly regaining your breath back. “We didn’t even bother to dress for that, though.”  
“Did we need to?” Mark looked at you with a smirk. You rolled your eyes.  
“I don’t think we’re going that far for a scene, but we’re definitely doing the scene that we’re supposed to do.” You eyed the clothes you were supposed to wear for the bench scene, leaning over and grabbing the skinny jeans. “I don’t know about you, but I’m going to get dressed.” Mark laughed and ran his fingers through your hair before he went to get himself dressed.  
A long and slightly giggly dressing later, you both exited the dressing room.  
“Oh!” a woman said, bumping into you.  
“Sorry!” you apologised. “We just came out of there. We had to...,” you eyed Mark, “change outfits.”  
“Oh, okay,” she laughed. “I was actually coming to grab you for the scene. The director got a little impatient.” Mark nodded and put his hand on the small of your back to lead you towards where the director was sat looking at the scene before him.  
“Excuse me?” you asked him, tapping him on the shoulder.  
“There you are!” he said, looking back at the both of you. “I gave you fifteen minutes and what do you do? You fool around in the dressing room!”  
“Uh...,” Mark said. “You gave us a full hour, and we didn’t even need that much time.”  
“Whatever.” The director pointed to a bench in front of him. “Go to where your roles are. Where’s the script I gave you?” You looked around, realising you had left it in the dressing room.  
“We’ve gone over our lines,” you said. “And you never gave us a script, your assistant gave us a copy.” The director rolled his eyes, constantly more annoyed. He shook his head and just pointed to the bench again. As you and Mark went towards it, you could hear him mumbling, “Who’s the director? I am, but no, the assistant does all my work...” Mark sat on the bench before you sat closely to him, looking up at the clear sky, waiting for the director to call action.  
“Okay!” he called. “Mark, uh... Whatever your name was, Romantic Couple On Bench! So, do you know what you’ll be doing?”  
“Yes!” Mark called.  
“Alright, I’m going to say it once over, just so we’re clear. The female lead will run right past you as you both are kissing, and then the male lead will run after her, but he’ll fall over and Mark, you’ll be annoyed, say something like, ‘Watch it!’ Girlie, you’ll sigh and kiss Mark and that’ll be all you have to do.”  
“Why does he not remember my name?” you whispered to Mark curiously. Mark shrugged.  
“He’s an ass, remember?” he laughed quietly.  
“Couple people, I’m going to have you start right now, okay?” You stared blankly as the director rolled his eyes and waved his hand at you. “Kissing! Start kissing!” You nodded and looked at Mark, who began to kiss you softly. “Action!” You kissed Mark back with feeling, sighing as he set his hands on your neck. You put one hand on his chest and one just on his leg. You felt the rush of wind as the female lead ran by, yelling something. You heard a male voice calling after her, then you felt him fall onto you both. Mark, on cue, pulled away and looked at him, extremely annoyed, you doing slightly the same.  
“Watch it!” Mark said, pushing the guy off some, to which he mumbled a, “Sorry,” and started off running again. You sighed and kissed Mark again. You waited for the director to call off the scene...but he never did.  
But eventually, you didn’t pay attention. You just kept kissing Mark, and Mark kept kissing you, and there wasn’t really anything else you could pay attention to. Not the protests of the director, not the sounds of equipment being carried away.  
Not even the distant call of the assistant to have you stop after the park was empty.


	3. It's All About Realism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coffee, fans, and a lot of time well spent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, good God! This, for some reason, took me forever to complete! Well, they can't act all the time! Don't worry, I've got plans for the next part.  
> I really like writing this series because it help me concentrate on movement, flow, and detail. It helps. xoxo

Wow.  
Just...wow.  
You were sat at your computer, scrolling through Tumblr, and there was something people started to notice.  
The news, not too long ago, put you and Mark on television. No consent, but they had spoken about the movie you both had set out to do the bench scene, and apparently it was an illegal production. The director was sued, but no one else was put on trial because they hadn’t been part of the scheme.  
Unfortunately, the footage they used to describe the movie was bad.  
They used footage from a ‘behind the scenes’ camera, and believe it or not, it was the scene where you and Mark had been kissing and the guy had fallen on you.  
The thing people started to notice was you and Mark. There were plenty of theories as to whether or not you were with him. They had screenshots side by side, one from Reverent Love and one from the news. There was no denying that they were the two of you, and people started to ‘ship’ you...whatever that meant. They called it ‘(SN)’, but what really irked you was whether or not Mark had seen it.  
Both you and he had started talking considerably more than usual the past six months, mostly in awkward texts and the occasional Facebook tag. That day on the park bench sparked something, but neither you nor Mark were sure what it was.  
He didn’t live very far away. Maybe you could ask him to coffee.  
Maybe.  
Your phone buzzed beside you. Someone texted you.

Mark: Heylo~  
You: Hiya  
Mark: Whatcha doing?  
You: Not much. Tumblring : P  
Mark: Haha  
Mark: So I was thinking  
Mark: You know, maybe if you wanted to  
Mark: Like get coffee sometime maybe  
Mark: But you don’t have to : P  
You: You know what’s funny, I was thinking the same thing  
Mark: Wow psychic powers!!  
You: What time then?  
Mark: Uh it’s like 9:30 right now, what about today?  
You: Okay : ) There’s like a little coffee shop thing by my apartment, we can go there  
Mark: Okay. I guess I’ll be on my way then : D

You put down your phone and stared at the wall. Maybe it was the ceiling, but you weren’t sure because you were too busy panicking.  
What were you supposed to do? Why was he asking you to coffee? Why did you agree?  
Your phone rang, but you disregarded it for the time being. You needed to dress in proper clothes and not go to the coffee shop in pyjamas, regardless of how many times you had gone there that way. What were you freaking out about? You already sucked the guy’s face off, why were you nervous over coffee? It’s just coffee, and it’s just Mark.  
So it’s no problem, right?  
Okay, maybe it was a slight problem, but you weren't complaining.  
"Hey," he smiled when you opened the door. You grinned back.  
"You ready?" you asked. "It's only a couple blocks away." Mark nodded and you stepped out of your apartment, meeting with the cool air outside of it. Thank God for that because your face was really hot.  
In the coffee shop, Mark insisted on paying despite your protests, but in the end you got a latte and he got a cappuccino. You both sat down, but didn't really talk. You just looked at each other between coffee sips, eyeing the other people in the shop.  
"So...," you finally decided to speak. "How come you wanted to get coffee?" Mark shrugged.  
"I guess I just thought that we haven't seen each other since...," he paused, "that shoot. So I thought, you know, maybe we should hang out." You chuckled, your phone ringing again. You looked at it, but declined the call. "Who was that?" You sighed, shrugging.  
"I don't know. I don't recognise the number, but if they really want to get a hold of me, they can leave a voicemail." Mark laughed. He went to take another sip of his coffee, but not when a teenager tapped him on the shoulder.  
"Uh...," they said.  
"Are you okay?" Mark asked, extremely polite.  
"Are you Mark Fischbach?" Mark nodded. The teen looked at you. "And you're (YN) (LN)?" You nodded. They grinned like mad. "This is so cool. I can't believe I'm meeting you."  
"I've never had fans before," you laughed, looking at Mark. "Have you?"  
"No, not until today," he grinned.  
"Oh, you guys are super famous on Tumblr," the teen said. "Oh, I'm sorry about that director-suing thing. That wasn't very fair to you guys, was it?"  
"I think it was all for good practice," Mark shrugged. "Any practice is... It's good." Okay, Mark was really pushing that ship thing you saw on Tumblr forward by saying that. He probably didn't notice he was, but it was happening. You could tell by the slowly growing excitement of the teenager.  
"Uh... Do you mind if I get a picture with you two?" they asked. You shrugged.  
"I don't really mind," you smiled. Mark nodded. The teen excitedly pulled out their phone and turned on the camera. They got in the middle while you and Mark leaned in to get in frame. After the picture was taken, the teen smiled at you both.  
"Thank you both, it's because of you guys that I got into romantic movies," they grinned.  
"Because of us?" Mark repeated.  
"Yeah. So thanks." You high fived the kid, who then left the shop, probably tweeting the picture.  
"Wow," Mark said. "I guess we really are an inspiration to some people." You smiled as you took another drink of your coffee, but found it was empty. "Is yours empty, too?" You looked up, nodding.  
"I don't suppose there's anywhere else you want to go?" you asked. Mark rubbed the back of his neck.  
"Well, I guess we could go back to your apartment," he said. "I mean, because it's not that far from here." You nodded, now nervous. Your apartment. Your living room. Spending time together in your living space. Whatever 'spending time' meant. But really, it was just Mark. Mark Fischbach, just a guy who was sort of your friend. Mark Fischbach, a fellow actor who was good at acting.  
Mark Fischbach, a man who you were afraid you were developing something more about.  
The way back to your place was filled with idle chatter about various subjects, such as Tumblr, internet, and the ongoing meme war you had yet to run into. Mark said it was hilarious, so that was something to look forward to.  
"And welcome," you said as you opened the door. There actually wasn't much inside, now that you thought about it. All you really had in the living room was a couch against the wall, a coffee table and a television on the TV stand. Maybe you should start putting up posters soon.  
"It's nice," Mark smiled as he closed the door. "Really...roomy." That was good, wasn't it? Roomy, good for...lots of things. You shrugged.  
"Make yourself at home. Take off your shoes, raid my fridge, sleep on the couch. Mi casa, su casa."  
"Right." Mark slipped off his shoes and went to sit on the couch, where you joined him. "So...," he started.  
"You were really nice to that teenager," you smiled.  
"Yeah, so were you. They seemed really happy to see us." Your phone buzzed, luckily not for a call. You picked it up to see a notification from Twitter. "What's that?"  
"It's that teenager," you chuckled. "'So happy to meet them. Thanks for everything.' They tagged us with the picture."  
"That's so nice. I hope a lot of other people are better off having us to look up to, though. It's nice to be a role model."  
"I know, and here I am thinking no one would ever think I was good enough." You shut off your phone and set it on the table.  
"Hey, I think you're good enough," Mark said. You laughed.  
"Oh, do you, now?" you asked. Mark laughed back.  
"Yeah." You both laughed for a few moments. "Hey, I mean it, though."  
"What?"  
"That you're good enough. I mean it." You looked at him. He was acting really serious. You were laughing a couple seconds ago and now his face was suddenly close to yours. "Hey, (YN)?"  
"Yeah?"  
"I know that we acted a lot and we practised for it, but... Can I kiss you right now anyways?" You looked him in the eyes. What were you supposed to say? Yeah, he could, but how were you supposed to say he could? You didn't want to kiss him first, but how were you supposed to let him know that?  
What were you supposed to do?  
Oh.  
Too late.  
He had already leaned in and began kissing you. You felt something like stress being lifted off your shoulders, and you relaxed into the kiss, sighing.  
Now this you knew to be real. No skeptical thoughts, no doubts running through your mind. Just Mark.  
His fingers grazed your shirt collar as he pushed you back onto the couch so he was on top of you, one leg stretching out slightly while the other stayed bent. Your fingers ran over the buttons on his flannel shirt, but didn't unbutton them. You just felt the plastic and the cloth it was attached to, small openings between each one. Your lips moved slowly with one another, his teeth slightly grazing your bottom lip. You thought back to every other time you had kissed him, every other 'practice session'.  
And you forgot about them completely.  
You felt the scruff he probably hadn't shaved off yet against your cheeks and you failed to stifle a laugh. You felt a rumble from Mark's chest, letting you know he was laughing, too. One of your hands found his hair and, instead of just sitting there, your fingers weaved their way into the locks and ran them through several times. That seemed to make Mark moan a bit, pressing himself more so onto you. One of his hands, probably his right, slid its way under your figure, pressing into the cushion before pulling you up slightly. You felt your knees buckle against each other and you weren't sure where to go, unless Mark was willing to pick you up like this.  
Which he then did. You felt your hair hang off your head and then go against your back as he sat up like you both had been before. You felt your lips disconnect a couple times, but it never faltered. You now had your legs straddling him slightly, but he was still very much in control.  
He grazed your lips with his teeth again, before the kiss deepened even further. Your fingers tightened around his hair, and his hand fell down to your rear. You squeaked a little, a small moan escaping, but it didn't last because he was going for your neck. You relaxed some and your fingers loosened, your other hand still fumbling with random buttons on his shirt. You felt small bites on your neck, small, miniscule tugs of your skin from his teeth before he kissed them.  
That was it.  
That was all it took.  
Because your phone rang for the third time that day. It was still in your pocket, specifically the one Mark's hand was on. You felt everything come to a slow halt as Mark stopped biting, you stopped gripping, and you both looked at each other. You carefully went to grab your phone, your hand brushing against Mark's for a moment as you checked the caller.  
"They just won't quit," you mumbled.  
"Should you...," Mark began. "I mean, is it from before?" You nodded.  
"I guess I better answer it now, then." You slowly unattached most of yourself from Mark, sitting beside him with your arms pressed together. "Hello?" you answered, half annoyed, half concerned.  
"Yes, this is a call for (YN) (LN)," a woman said politely.  
"Speaking."  
"We'd like to talk to you and Mr. Mark Fischbach about a movie role."


	4. Getting Closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new set, a new movie, and some very new scenes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know this is really short and has absoluteky nothing to it, but the next one is going to be filled to the brim with acting. Treat this like a filler/informational chapter. xoxo

Here you were.  
In front of a real movie set and a real director who wasn’t scamming you for once.  
"It's so nice to meet you!" the director greeted, shaking hands with both you and Mark vigorously. "I'm really glad you're here! We want to talk to you about a couple of roles."  
"Okay," you said.  
"Well, we're just about to start our production and we needed two people for the role of Margaret Satchel and James Fender. They are the main role's best friends, dating each other, same college, same study subjects." He clasped his hands together. "So, as this is a horror movie, it'll be basically your normal stereotypical couple. Hanging out with friends, spending time together, that sort of thing. A lot might change within the process of filming, but as I said, it's just the beginning. We'll have paperwork, you know, just to make sure everything is in order in case of an injury, credit roll, that sort of thing."  
"What's this production called?" Mark asked.  
"Well, originally, we called it 'Ghost Killer', but then we decided that it wasn't really a ghost, but more like a demon. So it's since been changed to 'The Demons Inside'." Mark smiled. Apparently, scary demon movies were his thing. Which was fine. You watched a horror movie every once in a while, didn't you? Yeah.  
"Sounds great," Mark grinned wide. You nodded.  
"Awesome," the director replied. "Uh, so we'll issue your paperwork, some scripts, and we'll get started as soon as we can."  
"Okay," you said.  
A couple? Being around each other all lovey-dovey and stuff? You couldn't even be lovey-dovey in real life, how could you pretend you were?  
About twenty minutes passed and you were sat across from Mark at a table, looking at your paperwork. It was main stuff, you know. In case of injury, law enforcement rules, please call this number if you want blah, blah, blah. You've seen this stuff before.  
"Have you looked at the script yet?" Mark asked as you signed your name under the injury informational page.  
"No, did you?" yoy replied.  
"I skimmed it." He glanced at you. "Not sure if you want to read it yourself but I can tell you the gist."  
"Go for it." You set down your pen.  
"Well, we're the best friends of the main character. We've got at least five scenes where we have lines, some where we're in the background. Most of them are just about classes, eating food in a diner, making googly-eyes at each other. Except one."  
"And that means?"  
"It's an implied sex scene." You widened your eyes.  
"Implied sex scene?"  
"Yeah."  
"And that means what? We get to the point, but it cuts as soon as it starts?"  
"Kind of. It's like... I don't know. We build it up, it cuts away, we're sleeping, and that where we die." You stared at him for a long while. He did the same, which meant you were both probably thinking about the scene and how any of it would work out.  
"The death kind of killed the mood, then," you ended up saying. That made Mark laugh.  
"Yeah, I guess it did," he chuckled. You half-grinned. "Look, I don't know about you, but I can do this. It's not weird for me because, I guess, I can convince myself that it's not real, you know."  
"I guess I do that, too. At some points before, well..."  
"What?"  
"Well, I wasn't sure if I thought it was real or not. I mean, the first time came as a shock because it felt real, and at the time, I thought it really wasn't. But then, after that, it just...kept feeling real."  
"What about when I was at your house?"  
"I don't...know. It wasn't practice...was it?"  
"I don't know, maybe it was but it wasn't."  
"So, when you asked if you could kiss me even though it wasn't for anything, you meant that?"  
"I guess I did." You started laughing. "Hey, seemed like a moment was there. Blame the atmosphere."  
"No, no. It's fine. It could've been the atmosphere, it could've been a move you made, hell, it could've been that teenager."  
"Or all three. The escalation just put a lot of pressure."  
"I guess-" You jumped when someone blew an airhorn on set, interrupting you. Both you and Mark turned to see the director standing in the middle of everything.  
"Alright, guys, let's talk about this," he announced. "This is officially day one of our production." Most of the crowd cheered, whilst you and Mark clapped. "Today's just a set day. You'll go over your lines. Next week, we're starting with some scenes with our new members," he motioned to you two, "Mark and (YN)." The crowd cheered again and you waved politely.  
Jeez, why start with you both? Didn't make much sense.  
And you certainly hoped that the scene you were starting with was not the scene you were thinking of.


	5. The New Co-Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for some lines and some acting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I had to cut this into two parts. It got way too long and I wasn't even halfway done. Don't worry, I'm getting through finishing the next part after this one, so hopefully it'll go up soon after this one.  
> Strap in (maybe), because there may be more detail in the next one than anticipated! xoxo

Don't be awkward, don't be weird, don't make any sudden moves that would suggest feelings that may or may not be there.  
At least, those were the thoughts running through your head when you did read-throughs of the script with the rest of the crew. It was weird, saying your lines without acting them out. Yeah, you took acting classes, but you haven't done this in particular in a while. So all you really had was your voice and the words on the page.  
God, did you and Mark have some cheesy lines. And weird lines. And particularly suggestive-on-purpose lines. It looked like yours and Mark's characters were really into sneaking off away from their friends to 'do stuff'. And, man, you did not want to know what that was. Apparently, your characters were also massive hop-heads, too. Which wasn't expected at all.  
Why wasn't this in the character description beforehand?  
The read-through of your third scene went something like this:  
"I'm (YN) (LN) playing Margaret Satchel," you stated.  
"I'm Mark Fischbach playing James Fender," Mark said.  
"I'm Marie Ballen playing Carie Bane," the main female lead said.  
"I'm Josh Undeal playing Ben Angel," the main male lead said. The read-through began. You couldn't stop blinking and looking at Mark whenever he spoke, and you could feel him eyeing you during your lines. Marie and Josh didn't seem to notice, probably because they were focusing on their own lines.  
It was slightly painful to endure.  
Nevertheless, that was only the first week. The next week was your first week acting, and the director wanted to start with yours and Mark's scenes. Only the first scene, thankfully. That, you could deal with. The scene was set in a diner, you and Mark sitting across from Marie and Josh, though at this point, you were all characters.  
"Okay, are we all ready?" the director asked. You nodded, as you had already tried taking this scene a few times. "Action!"  
"Just fries, thanks," Josh said to the waitress character whose name you had forgotten. Josh started rubbing his face anxietically.  
"Jesus, what's wrong with you?" Mark asked. "You look like someone showed you a dead body."  
"Hey, watch it," Marie scolded. "For your information, his mom just died, so shut your goddamn mouth."  
"Oh, shit, man, I'm sorry."  
"How'd it happen?" you asked.  
"Dropped dead," Marie said quietly. "Like a fly." She rubbed Josh's shoulders. "Ben's been trying to keep it together."  
"Hey, you know, you could always hang with us, take some pressure off-" you began, but Josh cut you off.  
"I'm not hanging around you potheads just to numb this out," he said sternly. You held up your hands in defense.  
"Alright, man, your call," Mark said, shrugging. He turned to you. "We're still going out later, right?"  
"Yeah." You kissed him chastely. The waitress actress set down some microwaved fries, to which you took one.  
"God, you guys are no help," Josh said to Mark. Mark sat up.  
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" he asked, pretending to be offended. Josh stood up.  
"It means that while you're off getting high and shit, everyone around Carie and I are dying! So it means you're not helping!"  
"What the fuck is wrong with you, Ben?" Mark yelled, standing up. You acted like you were scared. "Ever since I stopped letting you tell me what I should do, all you've gotten is pissed at me, and at Margaret!" He motioned to you. Josh eyed you.  
"You need to break-up with this dickhead," he scowled at you. Now you stood up when you saw Mark clench a fist.  
"James, babe, let's just go," you said, putting a hand over his fist and pushing him out the door and off set. Once off set and out of the camera's frame, you took a deep breath.  
"Intense, huh?" Mark asked as you listened in the distance to the rest of the scene act out.  
"Isn't that true," you laughed. "I can't believe I messed up twice about my miniscule lines."  
"You nailed it this time." The director yelled cut.  
"That was fantastic!" he called as you and Mark returned to where everyone was. "I don't think we need anymore takes for this, so good job, everyone!" You cheered a little, along with a few other people.  
The next scene was you and Mark in the background, making-out. You shrugged it off because, let's face it, there was a scene you had to do that had a bit more than only making out. So outside background scenes were the least of your worries.  
"Action!" you heard the director yell out, to which you began playing with Mark's shirt, his hands on your hips.  
"It's weird to act all flirty when I'm not," you laughed. Mark shrugged.  
"I don't know, but I think it's fun," he said with a smirk.  
"Oh, really? You actually are flirting with me, did you notice?"  
"So are you."  
"Then we're on the same page." You leaned up. "Let's keep it that way." His lips met yours in the middle, and you began slowly kissing him. His arms moved to hold you securely against him, your hands holding his neck and head in place.  
Wait, how long were you supposed to be doing this? How long was this scene? Were you supposed to talk again after a minute or so? You sighed. It couldn't be that long.  
It was ten minutes. And you had to take the scene 6 more times. Or maybe the actors screwed up on purpose. Wonderful.  
It was nice to say the least. The natural feeling of kissing Mark wasn't alien territory anymore, and to you, it was more often than not a comfort to do so. Not even a privilege, because now you could tell by the way he moved that he liked it, too.  
The next scene was interesting, though.  
It was a college party, deep into it where most everyone was drunk, including you and Mark. Then someone was to die in front of both of you. In a closet. While you both were making out.  
Fun.  
So it went this way.  
The room was loud with music playing. Everyone had apple juice that looked like beer in red cups, including you. Mark just had one of those shrimp-kabobs and he was mindlessly chewing on the chicken. For now, you were in the background, just hanging out. Both Josh and Marie were fighting for the scene, while you and Mark were laughing with each other. Once Josh went out of the door, it would cut to you and Mark stumbling to a closet.  
The fight was long and it sounded so real. You were almost afraid it was real, but you told yourself it was fine as you kept downing apple juice, watching Josh storm out. Marie rolled her eyes and pushed through the rest of the crowd to go after Josh. They called cut and you lolled your head back, sighing.  
"What's wrong?" Mark asked, chewing on more chicken.  
"Is it bad to say that I'm bored?" you laughed.  
"Jeez, already?"  
"Yeah, I just want to do something other than sit here."  
"Well-" Mark began, but was cut off by the director.  
"Mark, (YN), stop talking!" he yelled. You visibly flinched and watched him. Were you in trouble? What was wrong? You weren't getting kicked off set, were you? "That whole conversation was great! It fits in perfectly to get into your actual scene. I think that'll be our first rewrite, yeah?"  
"Uh...," you said, "sure?"  
"Alright! So, basically, take what you were saying and just put it prior to the scene. Can you do that?"  
"Can we go over it real quick?" Mark asked.  
"Go ahead. Five minute break!" The rest of the crew relaxed as you and Mark looked at each other.  
"Okay, so, you sigh, I ask you what's wrong, you say you're bored," Mark said, going over it.  
"Right, then you say, 'Already?' and I say I want to do something other than sit here, and then...what?"  
"The scene, I guess."  
"Okay." You lolled your head back and sighed before laughing, "How's that?"  
"Looks like you're bored," Mark replied, grinning.  
Five minutes passed and you were ready for transitioning the scene.  
"Action!" the director called.  
"Hm," you sighed, looking at the ceiling.  
"What?" Mark asked.  
"I don't know, I'm bored." Mark laughed.  
"Already? You've had, like, three cups now."  
"I just want to do something." You made a noise to emphasize your boredom, and Mark grinned, taking hold of your arm and dragging you past and through the crowd, the camera following you. You giggled as the crowd thinned out and eventually disappeared behind the walls of the living room. He opened the closet door and pulled you in before the camera cut so they could fix up the lighting.  
"How ready are you for this?" Mark asked as they dimmed the lights down.  
"Pretty ready," you said. Action was called.  
"James, why are we in here?" you asked, laughing.  
"You said you wanted to do something else," Mark breathed as he went for your neck, slightly nipping at it.  
"James, you're so..." Mark went for your lips and you started kissing deeply for a couple moments before your hands went for his jeans. Then the lights shut off, but you pretended not to notice because your cue wasn't until someone 'dead' fell onto you. Once the lights came on again, you pulled back as the weight of an actor dropped onto you. You screamed, and then Mark pressed himself into a corner and put a hand over you. Accidentally touching your chest in the process, but you had to keep your composure. Just let it happen, who cares? They're just boobs, basically.  
You know, the boobs that Mark was subconsciously gripping in a fake panic. Those boobs.  
Finally, cut was called and there were no more takes to be made. Everyone went for a thirty minute break to look over what they were doing. Both you and Mark went straight for the food table, grabbing snacks and not making eye contact.  
"Sorry," Mark finally said after a few silent and painful moments.  
"It's fine," you said, eating a pretzel. Then you laughed a little.  
"What?"  
"I mean, I guess it was going to happen eventually."  
"I guess." You turned to him. "Look, I just, like...feel like I violated space, you know?"  
"Mark, it's fine. I mean, we have that one scene, so... It's like...practice."  
"I just want to make sure that you aren't...”  
“I’ll be fine. Okay?”  
“Yeah, okay.”


	6. It's Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the good scenes...and the good feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I really am not an expert on actual filming of certain scenes, but here's my interpretation.  
> Yes, finally. The chapter probably a bunch of you were waiting for. I told you it had to be two parts. But yes. Enjoy. xoxo

Your next scene was about emphasizing your hop-headedness. So they asked you if you were willing to use a vapor pen or if you wanted CGI. Of course, you had never used a vape pen, so you looked up what it was. It ended up being basically like flavoured water that turned into mist. It just looked like smoke when you blew it out. Sure, sometimes it contained nicotine, but the crew assured you multiple times that they had gotten the nicotine-free one.  
“But, does it, like, make me high?” Mark asked. One of the assistants shook his head.  
“No, it’s just like water,” he laughed. “Look, watch.” He put the vape pen in his mouth for a moment before opening his mouth and blowing out slightly misty smoke. “Tastes just like grapes.”  
“I don’t know, though,” Mark said, shaking his head. You held out your hand.  
“Let me see it,” you said, taking the vape pen and doing what the assistant had done. He was right, it did taste like grapes, and you didn’t really know you had misty smoke in your mouth until you blew it out. “It’s cool, actually. It tastes really good, like a...candy sort of thing.” You eyed Mark. “You sure you don’t want to try it?”  
“Maybe later.” Mark gave a nervous sort of laugh.  
“Okay, well, you don’t have to have just grape, though, if you don’t want,” the assistant pointed out. “There’s, like, strawberry and cherry, fruit mix, I think a piña colada somewhere, too.” The assistant turned around as he talked, probably looking for the flavours sitting on the table, but let out a sigh when he didn’t see them. “I don’t know where they are, though, so I guess you’ll have to stick with grape for now.”  
“Alright, thanks,” you said, smiling. Mark gave a nod, but didn’t smile. Something was wrong, and both you and he knew it.  
“Sure. We’re on break now, so feel free to practice your scenes with the vape pen. There’s enough in case you run out.” The assistant gave you one last smile, then a puzzled nod to Mark before he walked off. You turned to Mark.  
“Mark, what’s wrong?” you asked him. He turned his head to you.  
“What?” he replied, raising his eyebrows and shoving his hands into his pockets.  
“You were uncomfortable that whole time. Are you okay?”’  
“Yeah, no, I’m fine. I’m just...kind of nervous about this scene.”  
“Right, that makes sense.” You gave a chuckle. “You’ll be fine. Do you want to practice?”  
“Yeah, yeah.” You nodded as you followed Mark to a back dressing room. Ah, good memories. Or just memories. You know, it’s not like you cared, right? Just rooms that reminded you of Mark and...other stuff you wouldn’t say out loud.  
“Why the dressing room?” you asked. Mark went to shut the door as you turned. “Are you that nervous about this or-” You didn’t finish when Mark cut you off with a deep, rough kiss, hands grasping at the back of your neck. It had been so sudden that you had no time to respond when he pulled back and put his forehead on yours.  
“Sorry, I just...,” he started, but didn’t finish.  
“Couldn’t resist?” you guessed, smiling and laughing a little. Mark chuckled slightly.  
“Maybe.” You pulled away and looked down at the vape pen in your hands.  
“You sure you don’t want to try it?” you asked, twirling it with your fingers.  
“But it’s...like drugs. But with water.”  
“Mark, didn’t you go to college?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Where were you?”  
“In my dorm room.”  
“For how long?”  
“Most of the time.” You laughed loudly, covering your mouth.  
“Okay, so, in college, people smoke all the time. Or at least the people I hung out with did. Vape pens are just like it, but more like a high school thing. You know, like candy cigarettes. It’s almost like a really bad joke to make you look cool.”  
“Okay...”  
“You saw me do it, right?” He nodded. “I’m not going off all high. It’s fine, trust me.”  
“Alright, alright.” He took the vape pen from you. “I mean, it looks fine, I know that. It’s just nerve-wracking is all.” He took a small breath from it and coughed when he blew it out.  
“Are you okay?” you asked.  
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, clearing his throat. “The grape caught me off guard.” You laughed. “This thing is weird, but it’s, like, sugary. It’s like... I want to say it’s like Vitamin Water.” He took another breathe in from it and blew it out correctly. “Yeah, like flavoured water.”  
“See, it’s fine.” You smirked as you picked up your script, looking over your lines. They were mostly half-baked, kind of drowsy lines. A lot of the description said ‘lazily’ or ‘sleepily’. You weren’t surprised.  
One caught you off guard.  
“Hey, Mark?” you said as Mark turned the vape pen around every which way.  
“What?” he asked, watching the water in the clear tube go back and forth.  
“Did you look at this?” Mark went to stand next to you, looking at the paper.  
“‘James kisses Margaret after breathing in a puff of smoke, making them both laugh.’ Wait, seriously?”  
“Apparently.”  
“How does that work? Can I even do that? Where is the smoke going to go?”  
“From you to me, Mark.” Mark looked at you curiously.  
“How?”  
“By kissing me. Did you have a blackout while reading?”  
“I was...trying to process it. Okay, so... How do I say this without sounded extremely weird?”  
“Let’s just try it, how about that?”  
“Yeah, that would be best.” You put the script down and rolled your shoulders back. “Have you done this before?”  
“No, but I’m sure it’ll be interesting.” Mark took two steps towards you and breathed from the vape pen. Then he kissed you, breathing out. Oh, he tasted like grapes and something that was probably salt. It was like some kind of... You couldn’t describe it. It was just Mark, all of it was Mark. When he pulled back, there was no smoke for you to blow out, as it had completely evaporated.  
“What was that like?” he asked as you looked off to the side, slightly pondering what had just happened.  
“It’s like...,” you said, but stopped when you couldn’t explain it. “Like a... I don’t know. Weird. But cool. But really weird.”  
“No words, then?”  
“Not really... I just want to do it again...I think...” You looked at him.  
“You look like you’re rethinking your life.”  
“I might be.” You laughed. “I’m trying to figure out what this feeling is right now. I’m kind of bewildered or something.” Mark looked down at the vape pen.  
“I’m afraid to let you use this again.” You shook your head, closing your eyes.  
“No, no, I’m fine. Just...”  
“What?”  
“Can we just try it again?”  
“Yeah, if we need to.” Mark took in another breath and kissed you, the smoke hitting you again. You couldn’t help loving it, you couldn’t help it. It was the best thing ever. Once the taste of the smoke went away, you kept kissing him, and the feeling of bewilderment never left.  
And you were almost sure that it hadn’t been the smoke that bewildered you. It was Mark.  
It was a while for you to focus on actually acting out the scenes for practice so you could do it for the camera. There were two other people, Steven and David, who were secondary characters named Ahmed and Vince. They were your apparent hop-head friends, but the actual people were very nice.  
“We ready?” the director called, his voice echoing off the cement walls.  
“Ready, Freddy,” David called, giving a thumbs-up.  
“Okay, and...action.”  
You were leaning on Mark’s chest, twirling the vape pen in between your fingers.  
“You think Ben’s going off the rail?” you asked, sighing and taking a breath from the vape pen.  
“Who cares, he’s overreacting,” Mark laughed, taking the pen from you as you breathed out and looked up. “Seeing demons, my ass.”  
“What’s wrong with Ben?” David asked, who was leaning on his arm.  
“Some stupid shit he’s getting paranoid about,” you said, shaking your head. “If I was him, I’d just shut up.”  
“Marge, you’re so mean,” Steven laughed as Mark passed the vape pen to him.  
“Shut up, Ahmed,” Mark sighed. The vape pen went around until it was in your hands again.  
“So you’re not scared?” David asked.  
“Of what?” you said as smoke left your mouth.  
“The demons that Ben’s seeing.”  
“No,” Mark laughed. “I think Marge and I will be safe tonight.”  
“What’s happening tonight?” you asked, laughing.  
“Depends, am I coming over?” He took a breath from the pen, then leaned down to kiss you. You heard David and Steven laugh before the director called cut. He called cut again. And again. The fourth time, you finally pulled back from Mark.  
“Do you need to be alone?” Steven asked jokingly. You tossed a small pebble at him.  
“Shut it,” you said, getting slightly red in the face.  
Man, you needed to pay attention.  
Five more takes and two different rewrites. A couple times, Mark messed up, but barely saved it. You almost lost it and started laughing, but held it together until cut was called.  
And then comes the big scene.  
You know exactly what scene, even though you try to tell yourself differently.  
It was the implied sex scene. Obviously.  
"Uh, so...," Mark began qs you both waited. "I've never done this before...and I don't understand how it works."  
"Yeah, me neither...," you added.  
"Okay, Mark and (YN), follow me," a man with a slight accent from somewhere in Europe said, leading you both towards separate dressing rooms. "Mark, I'll take you, and (YN), you'll be in the other one." Mark nodded giving you a little nod of nervousness before he disappeared. A woman behind you led you into your room.  
"So, is this your first time?" she asked.  
"Uh, first time...what?" you asked as she began pulling out various clothing items.  
"First time doing a sex scene."  
"But...this isn't a sex scene...right?"  
"Well, no. No sex scene is really a sex scene, but each variation is played out the same."  
"I guess it would have been a no regardless." She laughed.  
"Right, so, for this, you can either wear skin-coloured cover-ups, or just plain underwear. I'm sure you've probably had the second one happen at some point, but it's your choice." Your face heated up when you thought back to the dressing room dilemmas. That had been the only accidental premonition you had encountered thus far.  
"No, no, the second one is fine."  
"Right, okay. Now, you can choose to be completely topless, or you can wear a bra."  
"Bra, please. I don't think I can do the nakedness thing yet."  
"Sounds perfect." She put a few things away, then opened the bag more so. "Now, we have plenty of choices here. Don't worry, everything has been washed and sorted and cleaned. No one else has worn anything you're about to wear, granted you even wear it." She rifled through. "There's some hip-huggers, some brief-type stuff, you know."  
"Whichever one covers up the most on the bottom," you laughed. "That is the least I will ask." She nodded and handed you a pair of decent green underwear, which was a little lacey, but definitely large enough to cover everything.  
"Bras," she said. "You are a..."  
"(BS)," you said quietly. She nodded.  
"I had a sneaking feeling," she chucked. "Any kind of preference?"  
"No, not really. As long as it's not skimpy."  
"Okay, let's see here." You watched her struggle to find something else green or at least blue, but now your thoughts went to Mark. What were his feelings about this? Was he going to have to pick out boxers or something? Probably, but what if nothing was right and he just wore his normal ones? Would they let him? And what about the actual lying down with each other? How did guys keep everything...in place?  
"Alright!" the woman cheered suddenly, making you jump. "You okay?"  
"Yeah, just spacing off," you assured.  
"This is a deal-breaker." She held up a seagreen-like padded bra that had little waves on the laciness that outlines the bra part. "It goes with the green, and it definitely works with how you're shaped. How about it?"  
"It looks awesome, I think." She smiled.  
"Okay, well, once you're done, stop by the make-up, and then you'll be set in about a half hour." She left the dressing room then, allowing you to put on the stuff she picked out. You had to admit, it really did look nice. It kind of made you look like a mermaid, if you were honest. Just without a tail.  
"(YN)?" a familiar voice said on the other side of the door. "It's Mark, can I come in?" You froze.  
"Uh...," you said, then thought for a minute. Just undergarments, but it was Mark. And he was going to see you anyways. So...why were you hesitating? "Yeah." The door opened slowly as you searched for the clothes you wore before.  
"Ah, okay," Mark said, making him cover his eyes. He shut the door so no one else would catch a glimpse. "I swear, you just let me in to any situation."  
"Mark." He shook his head. "Mark, look."  
"No, I don't have to, it's a direct violation of your personal space and I am a super-good gentleman person." You laughed.  
"Mark, you're going to see me anyways, you might as well get used to it really quick." He sighed. "Just do it." He signed again, this time exaggerating it, and looked.  
"Wow," was the first word out of his mouth.  
"'Wow'?" you repeated.  
"No, I mean... You know, wow as in it's cool, it...suits you. I think."  
"Like a mermaid person, right?"  
"Yeah." He laughed, you know what's funny? They gave me green checkered boxers." He lowered the hem of his jeans to show the colour.  
"The dressers are on point with their coordination. If they don't have psychic powers, I swear, just... I don't know, do something nuts, because-" You were cut off by Mark's lips, soft on yours along with his hands on either of your hips. As he pulled back, you smiled. "Mark..."  
"What?"  
"How don't you believe that the dressers have psychic powers?" He pulled back and laughed as he began to slip out the door.  
"I do believe it." Then the door shut.  
Sneaky bastard, he is. And flirty. And nice and punny sometimes, too.  
And just...Mark.  
Once clothes were on and makeup was situated on your now slightly better looking face, you went towards the set where Mark was lounging on a bean bag in a fake dorm room. It was, like, three walls and then one open space for the cameras and the crew.  
"Why, hello there," Mark greeted as you sat on the bed.  
"You are one cheeky bastard, you know that?" you laughed, pushing his slightly.  
"Yes, I do know that," he nodded, chuckling. He then stood up to go outside the fake door because he had to walk onto set initially. You laughed as you lay down slightly, head facing the wall. You were supposed to be thinking about the creepy demons, but Mark was taking up too much space. You sighed. Just relax.  
"Okay, take seven!" the director called. "Action!"  
"Demons," you muttered, staring at a picture of Marie and Josh standing at a fake birthday party. Then a closet door shut to your right. You sat up slightly, about to go check. You stared at it for a few moments until Mark broke the silence and opened the door.  
"Hello," he said, laughing. You laughed along with him as he made his way to where you sat, shutting the door as he did so. You glanced over at the closet again, Mark following your gaze. "What?" You shook your head.  
"Nothing important," you said, smiling. "But why did you want to come over?" Mark chuckled quietly.  
"Depends. I'm in the mood for some fun if you want." You scoffed as you smiled.  
"I don't know," you teased. "I might be..." Mark leaned to kiss you softly. This was your third time trying to do this. Every time you tried, at least one of you either directed wrong or fell off the bed. You would get it right this time.  
Mark kissed you more and more, tongue, lips, teeth, hands in hair, hands down to your jeans, yours to his shirt. You managed to unbutton it and push it away, him still trying to slip off your jeans. Oh, this take was going to be no good again. Mark kept having trouble with the jeans and disconnecting them from you.  
However, this time was saved by probably some kind of strategy he infused in his head. As you pulled off your shirt he worked on just getting the jeans looser off your legs so they would slip away easily. Once done, you started with Mark's jeans.  
This was the thing you were worried about.  
You knew they had covers to wear underneath boxers, but you were concerned about whether or not it would be that effective. What if it broke or malfunctioned? You'd be stuck, lying there awkwardly because of the sheer fact that it was now technically real. At least, in your eyes it was.  
Mark kissed you rougher than he ever had, hands kind of free-roaming around. Down your sides, on your legs. You felt the muscle on his chest properly this time. Nothing too surprising. You could feel a tiny scar down where his belly was. He grunted when your fingers ran over it, now practically fallen onto you. The camera was supposed to be panned only on your top halves right then, but at this point, they might as well just catch it all and then edit it later.  
"Cut!" the director yelled. Once Mark detached himself, you started laughing. And laughing. And Mark joined you. "That, and I mean this in the most pandering sense I can muster, was absolutely sexy."  
"Oh, my God," you said quietly, as you were laughing too hard to even do anything. That had to have been the most awkward thing you've ever done with someone in your entire life.  
Once situated underneath the covers of the bed, Mark's arms round your middle as you lay on his chest, you relaxed. Just try and relax. You were sleeping, you had to relax. Especially after something like that.  
And eventually, you really did doze off for a few moments. The up and down of Mark's chest, the steady breathing, the overall comfort of Mark just made you feel...safe. Wanted. Like you were sure that this was the only thing that felt right.  
"You're amazing, (YN)," Mark said quietly, closing his eyes.  
"You, too," you responded, relaxing completely.  
It really was the most relaxing thing you had ever had. And you didn't want it to stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not condone the usage of vapor pens and Markiplier is not known to use them. This is purely fiction and based on my own experience with vapor pens, as I have used one. xoxo


	7. A Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of course you didn't know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I haven't updated this in...hell, I don't know. But I've had it sitting in a document for awhile, half-finished, so I finished this chapter! I know, it might be a little OOC, mostly because it got a little difficult to remember how I wrote out of the plot, but trust me, it's getting fluffy and steamy at the same time. xoxo

“Welcome to An Inside Look with Jen Williams,” the interviewer said to the camera on your right. “Today, we have a special guest that practically everyone is talking about, (YN) (LN). Hi, (YN).” You waved a little to Jen.  
“Hi, Jen,” you replied with a smile.  
“So, tell us, what was it like being on set for The Demons Inside?”  
“It was, uh, an experience. You know, all the actors were really nice, we got along great.”  
“And what about your scenes, how did you prepare for them with your co-star, Mark Fischbach?” You swallowed anxiety. Good grief, did you have to answer this?  
“Well,” you began, and because you knew you were treading on thin ice, you chose your words carefully. “We had already both worked together on other sets and movies, like Reverent Love, and so it was easy for us to fall into our roles together.”  
“Perhaps falling into something else as well?” You let out a silent breath.  
“As in?”  
“Of course, you've heard the speculations about your relationship with Mark, right?” You sighed and nodded.  
“I have, yes.”  
“Well, I won't lie that we're all curious as to where it stands.” Who the hell did she think she was? She had no right to ask about yours and Mark's relationship. If you were honest, you weren't even sure where it was at.  
“I'm...sorry, why?” you asked, growing even more impatient.  
“As I said, we would all just like to know what it is-”  
“I don’t think this is appropriate, I'm sorry.” You rubbed your chin. “I'm uncomfortable answering that question.” You watched Jen write something on her pad before she looked up at you again. As she laid it flat on her lap, you eyed the writing, and even upside down, you could read what it said.  
“So-” she began again, but you cut her off.  
“Did you just write down that we were dating?” you asked, pointing at her notepad. She smiled nervously.  
“I don't know what you're-”  
“Let me see that.” She clutched the notepad tighter. “I looked at the contract before we started this, it says I'm allowed to see what you're writing before it goes to anyone else.” You reached over and plucked the yellow paper from her manicured hands and turned it to make sure you weren't hallucinating.  
Yet there it was.  
“‘Mark and (YN) - Definitely dating’?” you read out loud, with obvious offense in your voice.  
“Now, I just-” she tried to justify her actions, but it wouldn't even come close to convincing you.  
“This is fucking ridiculous!” you yelled, and anyone who knew you knew you didn't curse unless you were truly angry. And boy, were you angry as hell. “I don't care where I am or who I'm with, I am not doing this! I told you I wasn't talking about it!”  
On that fiery note, you stormed out. Out of the room, the building, right to your car where you drove just barely above the speed limit because God, were you angry.  
Of course this would happen the very next day after what happened the previous night.  
***  
“Do you want to have dinner?” Mark asked suddenly.  
You paused.  
“...Uh...,” you said slowly. “What?” It had been so random and so out of the blue that you couldn’t say much. You and Mark had started hanging out together a lot more often since the movie had been released. You watched it together, of course, and laughed at the cliché plot of it all. You especially laughed at your own scenes. It looked a lot different from a watcher’s perspective rather than an actor’s.  
But it was just spending time together. Nothing more.  
Until now, apparently.  
“Nothing,” he said, still looking at the TV. “It’s fine.” You turned to him.  
“Mark, you just asked me to dinner,” you told him. It had processed by now, at least, so there was no way he was backing out of this.  
“No,” he said, drawing out the word, “I asked if...you liked...honey and...ginger.” You rolled your eyes and lightly smacked his shoulder. “Ow, what?”  
“You asked me if I wanted to have dinner and you know it.” He held up his hands in defense.  
“Okay, okay, I did. So what?”  
“Why?”  
“Because...,” he trailed off. “I just wanted to know if you did.”  
“Why did you want to know?” He sighed.  
“It’s like... Okay. You know, I know we did all this acting for so long and we’ve been really good friends for a while now, but, I mean... I feel like we should go out somewhere. Properly. Like a...”  
“...A what?”  
“Like a...real...date.”  
“You’re asking me out on a date?”  
“...Uh, maybe.” He paused. “Kind of. Yeah.” He looked so extremely nervous. Like you were going to refuse, that you both were professional actors and nothing more.  
“Okay,” you said.  
“‘Okay’ what?”  
“Yeah, let’s go.”  
“On a date?”  
“Yes, Mark. On a date.”  
“Okay.” He sat there for a moment before saying, “I’m lost, I didn’t think you’d say yes.” You giggled a little."How about you just look for a place we can go to tomorrow night?" He smiled and nodded.  
"Yeah. Yeah, okay. Sounds like a plan." He nudged you. "Told you I'd buy you dinner first." You rolled your eyes and nudged him back. God, he was such a weirdo. But a romantic weirdo.  
The next night, Mark texted you that he could pick you up at 6:30pm and you'd go to a nice little restaurant. Nothing super expensive, but it was nice regardless. You were surveying the mess of clothes around you. Black dress or red? Or nice pants? A blue skirt? You didn't really know how he was going to dress. You could ask him, but that would be a little odd, right?  
After much speculation, you settled on a longish black dress. It was kind of a hip-hugger, but not quite. It went in a V-neck shape just above your chest and had little bows on each shoulder. It was short sleeved, but you doubted you needed a sweater. It was still technically summer and nights were going to be warm until at least mid-autumn.  
You didn't bother with much makeup. Not much stuff with you hair, either. You put it into a nice loose bun and left your face with some eyeshadow and lipgloss. You truly weren't one for tons of makeup, especially for a first date.  
And especially for Mark. You had a feeling he wouldn't really care for curled hair and pink cheeks. And as much as any man would gladly tell you you're beautiful with or without makeup, you felt better without ten pounds of foundation all over your face.  
Mark texted you fifteen minutes before he arrived and you stumbled for your blue flats. Almost tripping over your coffee table, you slipped into them and sat down. You needed to calm down. You were freaking over almost nothing. It's just a date. Just a first date.  
But it was a date with Mark.  
And doing anything with Mark made you nervous.  
But why should it? He's seen you half-naked, made out with you on multiple occasions, and felt you up. Of course, that was on accident, but still. It happened.  
The doorbell made you jump and you looked over at the door.  
"(YN)?" a familiar voice called out. "Uh... It's Mark." You stood. Deep breath.  
"Hi, Mark," you said when you opened the door. Thank God. He was as nicely dressed as you. A vest, button up, nice jeans. He even styled his hair.  
"Uh, here," he said, chuckling as he handed you a flower. "I, uh, got you a rose. Because, I mean... I think that's what people do."  
"Thanks, Mark," you smiled. It was just small enough to tuck behind your ear, and you did so.  
The drive there wasn't so much silent as it was awkward. But it was the good awkward. You were giddy, but you were fiddling. Mark kept tapping on the steering wheel. You didn't pull out your phone. That would be rude, wouldn't it? Or no?  
How long had it been since you had been on an actual date?  
Once you both arrived at the restaurant, a nice woman led you both to a table. She kept looking like she wanted to say something, but she held her tongue and simply asked for drinks. You ended with a Sprite, Mark with Coke. The table fell incredibly silent, and if you were being incredibly honest, this couldn't have been the first time this has happened on a date.  
“So...,” Mark began, trailing off.  
“This is nice, Mark,” you decided to say. “Thanks.”  
“It's- Uh, yeah, thanks- I mean, you're welcome- I mean... Just...yeah.” You laughed at how increasingly nervous he seemed. But it was cute. Really cute, actually, and it somehow made you relax.  
“It's been a while since my last date,” you commented.  
“Yeah?” Mark asked, intrigued. “How long ago?”  
“Oh, God, no, don't make me get into that.” Mark smiled and leaned forward a bit.  
“It's okay, I'm curious. We've got all night, anyways.”  
“Okay, well...”  
And somehow, that night led to his bedroom.  
Very rarely did you and Mark spend time at his house, seeing as he always claimed it was too messy and you wouldn't like it. But it was okay. Quantish and good enough to live in regardless. So when you walked into his house, he blushed.  
“Sorry, I haven't...cleaned much,” he apologised as he closed the door behind you.  
“It's fine, Mark, I keep telling you,” you giggled. Despite being completely sober, you were still a bit sleep deprived because of your late night stressing over your interview, trying to go over lines she could ask and how you would answer them. So, in light of that, you were kind of a doozy.  
“Come sit down,” Mark said, pointing to his couch, where you sat down in his outstretched arms.  
“Hey, Mark,” you said.  
“What?”  
“Thanks.”  
“For...what?” You sighed.  
“I don't know. Taking me on a date. Being really nice. Being a cute clutz all the time.”  
“I-I’m not a clutz!”  
“Hey, it's okay if you are! I think it's a little cute when you're kind of nervous. But it's even cuter when you're confident.”  
“I am too confident.”  
“Really?” He nodded. “Okay, how?” Mark looked from side to side, the apartment dark due to lack of lighting.  
“I can...do this.” You let your eyes close as Mark leaned to kiss you slowly, softly, and seemingly confidently. When he pulled away, a blush took over his cheeks.  
“No, no, don't be embarrassed!” you laughed. “It's okay, it was confident.”  
“I know, I just...”  
“What?”  
“Nervous.” You turned to face him fully.  
“Nervousness is the basis of human activity. And also really bad statements, but still. You can be nervous.”  
“Um... Can I ask you something?” You nodded. “If... If you stay here tonight...can we maybe...do it again?”  
“Do what?”  
“A date. Or like a date. Like...going places...together?” You smiled, and leaned to kiss him for a moment.  
“Sure,” you said. “But first...” You kissed again. “Let's see if I'm staying.” Mark looked at you, straight to your eyes, and you could've sworn that no one had ever looked at you like that before, that...hopeful look.  
And the next second, Mark was kissing you roughly, passionately, hands running down your dress and your shoes falling off your feet easily. You fumbled for his jacket as he pressed your lips to his by your neck, and he moved to slip it off. And my God, this was happening. No movie, no cuts, no director calling you out to redo a section of acting.  
Mark was looking for the clasp to your bra and you laughed when he couldn't find it.  
“Mark, M-” you said, laughing as he pulled away. “It's in the front!”  
“What?” he said, bewildered. “Since when is it in the front?”  
“Since I decided! Just- How about your bedroom? Not the couch.” Mark laughed and took hold of your hand, leading you through a hallway to his bedroom that you hadn't actually seen before. Of course, you didn't get a chance to look around much when Mark started to kiss you again, hands going for the front of your bra rather than behind. You, quickly, tried to undo his tie he wore and ended up simply loosening it as the kiss began to become more heated, more movement, and finally, his tongue that tasted like soda and himself, mixed with the aftertaste of yours. His hands went from your chest to your sides, running fingers down curves, across creases in your dress. Fingers finding the side zipper and pulling it down slowly, where now, only a simple loose piece of fabric and underwear were in his way.  
Meanwhile, you fixated on his tie, slipping it undone and working the buttons from his shirt down, down, down to his slacks, undoing a belt, leaving the slacks untouched as you ran hands across his stomach and chest, underneath his shirt which slid off when your hands went around his shoulders. He moved, stopping the kiss to take off his shirt fully and laugh as you slipped off the top part of your dress.  
You sat down on Mark's bed and let him straddle you carefully, afraid to hurt you, although.  
“Wait, wait, wait,” Mark said, reaching over your head, making you giggle as he opened his drawer. “Okay, okay, got it, okay.” You laughed at his clutzy nature and pulled him in to kiss you again, making him chuckle into your lips.  
This really couldn't have gone any better, right? Mark was kissing you, every inch down, you ran fingers across his body that made him tense and passionate. A near-perfect balance, and you were having fun, even while you stopped for him to pull covers over, even when he nearly fell off the bed entirely. All the way until it was over and you were laying underneath sheets and his arm as he softly breathed.  
You simply closed your eyes and let sleep take you...  
And you were awake.  
It took a few moments to assess what the hell was going on, but you were in an empty bed with a pillow lodged between your arms, and completely naked. And of course, you tried to remember if it was something you were to regret when you walked out of the room.  
You simply slipped on clothing you saw, which were your underwear and a shirt that was clearly too big for you. You walked slowly from the bedroom and followed the sound of humming to the kitchen, where Mark was stood, mostly dressed, save for shoes and actual pants. He was cooking pancakes. Too many, if you were honest.  
“Mark?” you asked, and at the sound of your voice, he jumped and turned.  
“Oh, hi, (YN),” he smiled. You walked over to watch him.  
“What is this?”  
“I, uh, had some extra pancake mix leftover, so I decided to use it.”  
“Mark, that's way too many pancakes.”  
“So? I'd eat a hundred pancakes if I could!” You laughed. “Hey, can I ask you something?” You tensed at the question. Ask you what? What, what answer was he searching for? Did he not remember anything, or was he going to tell you to get lost?  
“Hm?” you hummed.  
“I... Did you have a good time last night?” You bit your lip.  
“Part one...or part two?” He blushed deeply.  
“Uh... Both?”  
“Part one, very fun. Part two, very...interesting.” He chuckled nervously.  
“So... You had fun?”  
“Of course I had fun, Mark.” You giggled. “Especially when you almost fell off the bed...”  
“Hey, it wasn't my fault!” He smiled. “My leg was stuck in the pants!”  
“Hey, it's okay! It was fun, I liked it.” He smiled and put two pancakes on a plate.  
“Do you like syrup?” he asked.  
“On what?”  
“Your pancakes?”  
“Mark, you... No, you didn't have to make breakfast, you know!”  
“I had extra mix! Besides, you deserve something to eat. You have that interview today, right?” Oh, shit. The interview.  
“Crap, what time is it?”  
“No, don't worry. You told me it doesn't start until noon. It's only nine.”  
“Okay. Sorry, I just... I've been stressing over this since they called me in.”  
“That's okay. Now, syrup or no?” You thought, then let out a breath.  
“Yes to the syrup.” Mark nodded and poured a fair amount along your pancakes and handed you the plate.  
“You can sit wherever you want,” Mark told you.  
“Oh, if only you were sitting down already...” Mark widened his eyes.  
“(YN), you're...” Then he laughed, “I think that's one of the reasons I like you, you know?” So...he did like you.  
Like, liked you. Love, liked you. Everything, liked you. There were so many likes, but you covered up your shock with a laugh and sat down at small mini bar as Mark turned off the stove and let the large pile of cooked pancakes cool. The phone rang then, and Mark looked over.  
“Who's that?” you asked.  
“Don't know,” he said. “Hold on, I'll be right back.” Mark walked off, kissing your cheek as he did so, picking up the phone.  
At the least, you could think for a minute while Mark was talking to someone else.  
So...that night was the first time between you and Mark. Which didn't worry you so much as it scared you. This must mean you're dating, right? Or you're doing something along the lines of makeout movie scenes and real, true sex.  
But he was sweet and you wanted to just be able to like him, but with the amount of work you and Mark had already been bombarded with, and all were specifically stating you and him together, it didn't seem as real. If you were being honest, that night was probably the first night something hadn't been provoked by some sort of movie deal. It happened so naturally that it just felt...right.  
“Uh, yes, she's with me,” you heard Mark say as he looked at you sideways, confused. “Why?” A pause. “No, I'll- Yeah. Okay, okay, here.” Mark held the receiver away and covered it.  
“Who is it?” you asked quietly.  
“They said they're with the interviewers, I don't know,” Mark replied. He handed you the phone. “They wanted to talk to you.”  
“Uh...,” you said as you held the phone to your ear, “hello?”  
“(YN) (LN), just who I needed to talk to,” someone fairly British said quickly. “We called your boyfriend, Mark, thought he might know where you were.”  
“My wh-”  
“Hold on, sweetie.” A long pause. “Alright, so, interview’s been moved to ten today, so make sure you're ready by then. Same address and everything, got it?”  
“For... At ten?”  
“Yes, love, now, I've got to go, but I'll see you in the building, right?”  
“Uh... Yeah. Yeah, sure. Okay.”  
“Alright, thank you.” And they hung up.  
“They think I'm your boyfriend,” Mark said when you dropped the phone from your ear.  
“Yeah, they told me that, too...,” you said, thinking hard. Mark sat down in the seat next to you.  
“Um... I know you've got this interview, it's important, but afterwards... Maybe we can talk about it, right?” You looked at him. Of all the damn times he could be worried and he chose this one moment. And seeing him worried made you worried.  
“They said is rescheduled to ten,” you told him. “I've got to get home and change.”  
“I can drive you.” You nodded.  
“Yeah, yeah, sure.”  
You spent a couple quick minutes putting your dress back on, slipping your feet into your shoes. Mark threw on jeans and a pair of his sneakers and you followed him outside to his car, where the silent ride home ensued for at least half the drive.  
“If you want, I can wait for you outside of the interview,” he said as he pulled onto your street. You didn't answer. In fact, you ignored it. The fact that the fear of really, really falling into this with Mark scared the hell out of you. Saying anything about it was a guaranteed screwup.  
“Thanks, Mark,” you said, stepping from the car. You closed the door, looking at him through the window. You stepped back and waved what must've seemed like the awkwardest wave in history, and you turned around.  
“Hey!” Mark called, rolling down his window. “Do you want to...meet up later, then?”  
“I'll call you,” you said, making a phone gesture. Mark nodded and waved again, and you waved at the rear bumper of his car.  
Okay. Interview time.  
***  
And then you were here. Stuck outside of a gas station, angrily eating out of a large bag of potato chips from the corner store.  
God, of course you didn't know. You were supposed to talk about it.  
But, of course, talking about who you love isn't the easiest thing in the world.


End file.
